County Commissioners ask Transportation Commission to use every effort possible to use existing roadways for TTC-69
Use existing rights of way for I-69 route, officials urge
April 25, 2006
The Victoria Advocate
Copyright 2006
In an effort to encourage state road-builders to claim as few privately owned acres as possible for the proposed I-69 trade route through Victoria County, commissioners on Monday passed a resolution in favor of using existing rights of way for the new highway.
The resolution, which will be sent to the Texas Transportation Commission, asks that every effort be made to use the existing roadways "and not create new parallel corridors in the rural areas of Victoria County."
County Judge Don Pozzi said county and area residents attending a meeting in Victoria last month with state highway department officials delivered a clear message: "If there were to be any expansion, certainly (the residents') preference would be along the existing U.S. 59 and U.S. 77 roadways."
Pozzi said use of existing highways would "prevent the needless taking of private property" from areas other than those along the existing highways.
The judge said county officials understand that some private lands now bordering the highway routes would likely have to be taken for an expansion. "We recognize that there'd be some of that," he said.
The commissioners' resolution supports I-69 because the trade route would "help safely move people and commerce across our state and help improve economic development opportunities for our area."
The judge said he concurred with a letter sent to him by Victoria resident Bill Jones, who wrote that he sees the resolution as in no way supporting the Trans-Texas Corridor, but only as a signal to road developers and residents that the county is serious about protecting rural interests.
The I-69 project is a proposed eight-state highway and trade route that would cross Victoria County while connecting Mexico, the United States and Canada.
A version of the I-69 plan has been incorporated into the newer proposed Trans-Texas Corridor superhighway, which would feature separate truck and passenger car lanes, rail lines and various utility rights of way.
Pozzi said the I-69 concept was developed years ago and many different versions of the trade route have been promulgated - "Some good and some bad."
In other action:
• Commissioners approved a proposal from Wakefield Bridge Construction of Wharton County, which will be hired to build a new county bridge southeast of Fordtran.
Wakefield will be paid $98,500 to build the new bridge on J-2 Ranch Road at Wagner Flats to replace an often-flooded, low-lying bridge.
• Pozzi said the county's ban on open burning enacted in late December will continue. Rain during the past week reduced the drought index about a dozen points to 652, he said. But the ban is scheduled to remain in effect as long as the drought index, a gauge of dryness and fire danger in the county's fields, remains above 500.
"It's still very dangerous," Pozzi said.
• In honor of the work done by the local soil and water conservation district, a resolution proclaiming this week as Soil and Water Stewardship Week in Victoria County was approved by commissioners.
• Commissioners approved a resolution in support of a grant application seeking state funds for a "Click it or Ticket" program in Victoria County over the coming Memorial Day holiday period, May 22-June 4. The program is designed to increase seat belt use among drivers.
• This week was proclaimed as County Government Week in recognition of the leadership and services provided by county government. Monday's activities included a group of students from Memorial High School and St. Joseph High School "shadowing" elected officials and department heads to learn more about county government.
Other activities include: Today, county officials will address students in selected high school classrooms; Thursday, volunteer fire departments will visit area schools; Friday, a county employee appreciation luncheon will be held at 11:30 a.m. in DeLeon Plaza.
• Donald Day, Rex Easley Jr., and Ernest Zuniga were reappointed to the board of directors of Citizens Medical Center.
• Milton Greeson Jr. was reappointed as a member of the Victoria County Airport Commission.
• County commissioners voted to terminate their contract with McLemore Building Maintenance for janitorial services at the Dr. Pattie Dodson Public Health Center. The work will be done in the future by a full-time, three-person county crew. "It will save us dollars in the long run, probably about $5,000-6,000 per year," said Pozzi.
• Commissioners thanked Advocate reporter Greg Bowen for his work covering county government since 1999. Bowen has taken a position with an Austin public relations firm and will be leaving the Advocate at week's end. "He has always been accurate and fair," said Commissioner Jerry Nobles.
© 2006 The Victoria Advocate: www.thevictoriaadvocate.com
April 25, 2006
The Victoria Advocate
Copyright 2006
In an effort to encourage state road-builders to claim as few privately owned acres as possible for the proposed I-69 trade route through Victoria County, commissioners on Monday passed a resolution in favor of using existing rights of way for the new highway.
The resolution, which will be sent to the Texas Transportation Commission, asks that every effort be made to use the existing roadways "and not create new parallel corridors in the rural areas of Victoria County."
County Judge Don Pozzi said county and area residents attending a meeting in Victoria last month with state highway department officials delivered a clear message: "If there were to be any expansion, certainly (the residents') preference would be along the existing U.S. 59 and U.S. 77 roadways."
Pozzi said use of existing highways would "prevent the needless taking of private property" from areas other than those along the existing highways.
The judge said county officials understand that some private lands now bordering the highway routes would likely have to be taken for an expansion. "We recognize that there'd be some of that," he said.
The commissioners' resolution supports I-69 because the trade route would "help safely move people and commerce across our state and help improve economic development opportunities for our area."
The judge said he concurred with a letter sent to him by Victoria resident Bill Jones, who wrote that he sees the resolution as in no way supporting the Trans-Texas Corridor, but only as a signal to road developers and residents that the county is serious about protecting rural interests.
The I-69 project is a proposed eight-state highway and trade route that would cross Victoria County while connecting Mexico, the United States and Canada.
A version of the I-69 plan has been incorporated into the newer proposed Trans-Texas Corridor superhighway, which would feature separate truck and passenger car lanes, rail lines and various utility rights of way.
Pozzi said the I-69 concept was developed years ago and many different versions of the trade route have been promulgated - "Some good and some bad."
In other action:
• Commissioners approved a proposal from Wakefield Bridge Construction of Wharton County, which will be hired to build a new county bridge southeast of Fordtran.
Wakefield will be paid $98,500 to build the new bridge on J-2 Ranch Road at Wagner Flats to replace an often-flooded, low-lying bridge.
• Pozzi said the county's ban on open burning enacted in late December will continue. Rain during the past week reduced the drought index about a dozen points to 652, he said. But the ban is scheduled to remain in effect as long as the drought index, a gauge of dryness and fire danger in the county's fields, remains above 500.
"It's still very dangerous," Pozzi said.
• In honor of the work done by the local soil and water conservation district, a resolution proclaiming this week as Soil and Water Stewardship Week in Victoria County was approved by commissioners.
• Commissioners approved a resolution in support of a grant application seeking state funds for a "Click it or Ticket" program in Victoria County over the coming Memorial Day holiday period, May 22-June 4. The program is designed to increase seat belt use among drivers.
• This week was proclaimed as County Government Week in recognition of the leadership and services provided by county government. Monday's activities included a group of students from Memorial High School and St. Joseph High School "shadowing" elected officials and department heads to learn more about county government.
Other activities include: Today, county officials will address students in selected high school classrooms; Thursday, volunteer fire departments will visit area schools; Friday, a county employee appreciation luncheon will be held at 11:30 a.m. in DeLeon Plaza.
• Donald Day, Rex Easley Jr., and Ernest Zuniga were reappointed to the board of directors of Citizens Medical Center.
• Milton Greeson Jr. was reappointed as a member of the Victoria County Airport Commission.
• County commissioners voted to terminate their contract with McLemore Building Maintenance for janitorial services at the Dr. Pattie Dodson Public Health Center. The work will be done in the future by a full-time, three-person county crew. "It will save us dollars in the long run, probably about $5,000-6,000 per year," said Pozzi.
• Commissioners thanked Advocate reporter Greg Bowen for his work covering county government since 1999. Bowen has taken a position with an Austin public relations firm and will be leaving the Advocate at week's end. "He has always been accurate and fair," said Commissioner Jerry Nobles.
© 2006 The Victoria Advocate:
posted by Porkus Maximus Tex: at Tuesday, April 25, 2006
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